A British report called for independent international observers to be allowed to visit the detained political activists in Saudi Arabia without conditions, while Riyadh said it intends to release them before the G20 summit held this month, which sparked ridicule and controversy on communication sites.
The report - which was published by Helena Kennedy, a British lawyer specializing in human rights and a member of the British House of Lords - also called for Saudi Arabia to adhere to international protocols and treaties against torture, eliminate discrimination against women, and give them their civil and political rights.
Kennedy called for focusing on the issue of the activists now "because they (the Saudis) are hosting the G20 summit on the 22nd of this month, and we must demand the release of the detainees and we call upon all those governments that claim to be interested in human rights to boycott them until the defenders are released." On human rights, because their presence would be a wrong thing. "
1- Is this a serious intention?
Or is it within the authority's repeated insincere promises?
2- Releasing them is not an amnesty, they are not guilty, and their defense of human rights is a noble patriotic act, and their suppression, torture and imprisonment are national treason by the authority!
3 - The matter is not in the hands of the foreign ministry, as the ambassador mentioned, but rather with #MPS, who accused them of treason without bringing any evidence.
https://t.co/h3Z7ReLGFr
- Yahya Assiri #NAAS (@ abo1fares) November 10, 2020
Meanwhile, the Saudi ambassador in London, Khalid bin Bandar, said that his country intends to issue an amnesty for detained Saudi activists before the G20 summit this month.
Bin Bandar confirmed to the British newspaper (The Guardian) that Saudi courts have found the activists guilty of more charges than defending the right to drive.
He added that despite this, a discussion took place in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding whether the continued detention of activists was causing great political harm to Saudi Arabia, and that the arrest was no longer worth the effort.
More than a year ago, the Saudi authorities released 3 women's rights activists out of 11 arrested in 2018, and human rights reports at the time attributed the reasons for the arrest to their defense of women's rights, in exchange for official accusations, including compromising the country's security.
The G20 summit is not the reason, but the arrival of Biden and Harris to power.
pic.twitter.com/AjCH17cb0p https://t.co/cRhGUw6wau
- Omar bin Abdulaziz (@ oamaz7) November 10, 2020
interaction
Saudi activists have interacted with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announcing its study of the decision to release Saudi women activists before the start of the G20 summit to be hosted by Saudi Arabia, and the tweeters commented that "this is Biden's blessings," referring to the election of Democratic President Joe Biden.
Lina - who is the sister of the Saudi detainee, Loujain Al-Hathloul - said that the continued detention of Saudi activists is a "political issue, not a judicial one, and this shows the lack of independence of the judiciary in the Kingdom," in her comment on an interview with the Saudi ambassador to Britain, Khalid bin Bandar.
The initiative to correct mistakes is better than perseverance. We previously called on Saudi Arabia to initiate reform on its own before it is forced to repair the countless mistakes.
Now, however, it will be forced to stop the war on Yemen and improve its human rights file by releasing prisoners of conscience.
https://t.co/VjneuaBLJH
- Yahya Alhadid (@YahyaAlhadid) November 10, 2020
The Chairman of the Gulf Institute for Democracy and Human Rights, Yahya Al-Hadid, commented, "We previously asked Saudi Arabia to initiate reform on its own before it is forced to repair the countless mistakes."
He added, "The initiative to correct mistakes is better than perseverance. Now, Saudi Arabia will force to stop the war on Yemen and improve its human rights file by releasing prisoners of conscience."
The Saudi activist, Omar bin Abdulaziz, re-published a video of him from a live broadcast he made a few days ago, in which he talks about Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who will remove some detainees from prisons against his will.
Pls take 2 min of your time to read this thread:
The Saudi ambassador to the UK has made the suggestion that Loujain & other women activists could be released from jail as an act of royal “clemency” to help the kingdom's international reputation ahead of the # G20 summit.
1 / ..
- Lina Alhathloul (@LinaAlhathloul) November 10, 2020
Tweeters believed that the goal of this step by the Saudi authorities is to reduce the clash with the Biden administration, which is pursuing a policy different from the policy of former US President Donald Trump towards the Kingdom.
On the other hand, Saudis asked about the state of scholars and preachers whom the Saudi regime had thrown into prisons, and commented: "What about the defenders of the teachings of Islam?"
The political opponent, the Saudi human rights activist, Yahya Al-Asiri, questioned the sincerity of the Saudi government, asking about the seriousness of its intentions in this, or did this step come - as he said - "within the authority's repeated and insincere promises?"